Container for toilet disinfectant and deodorant



Aug. 28, 1956 2,760,209

CONTAINER FOR TOILET DISINFECTANT AND DEOQORANT J. w. EWING ETAL Filed March 22, 1954 IN V EN TOR5 United States Patent 'ice CONTAINER FOR TOILET DISINFECTANT AND DEODORANT James W. Ewing and Dale F. Behrends, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 22, 1954, Serial N 0. 417,690

8 Claims. (Cl. 4-223).

This invention relates to a device for introducing deodorlzmg and sanitizing liquids into the interior of a toilet bowl. container for fluid deodorants and disinfectants adapted to engage the rim of the toilet bowl so as to be subjected to lntermittent deforming pressures by the toilet seat that Wlll produce periodic ejections of a portion of the containers fluid contents into the interior of the bowl.

Numerous methods and devices have been developed over the years which sought to deodorize and disinfect the toilet. Undoubtedly the simplest of such devices was that in which the disinfectant in solid cake form was,

suspended from the rim a short distance down into the bowl. As a solid, the nominal volatility of the material limited its action to the effect of the trace of solid material that had dissolved in the water remaining in the bowl after flushing. In operation, the greater portion of the material was immediately flushed through the bowl so that all but a trace of its possible effect was wasted in sanitizing the drain pipe rather than the bowl.

Other earlier methods were directed to effecting a regulated introduction of liquid disinfectant and deodorant in a dropwise fashion by a controlled continuous flow of liquid from a reservoir through small tubing terminating within the bowl. As in the first case above but to a greater degree, this method introduced bulky and therefore undesirable apparatus into the bathroom. Even the conspicuous wall container of substantial size thus required did not permit any prolonged period of unattended operation because of the perpetual uninterrupted draining of its contentsa dropwise depletion that was independent of toilet use. Ironically, the long periods between toilet use were the periods 'of least need with highest levels of deodorant or sanitizer concentration within the stool.

Other methods sought to insert the deodorizing material into the water tank itself where the materials presence could be conveniently concealed. But its efficiency was in no way enhanced for the reason that its operation and efiect were still not synchronized with the periods of greatest need. Most of the material immediately passed through the bowl with little or no eifect.

With few exceptions, other attempts over the years to solve the deodorizing and sanitizing problems of the bath room were patterned along mechanical lines that developed devices for injecting a measured amount of liquid into the bowl at the time of use as established by operation of the toilet seat. These devices developed greater efiiciency by virtue of the fact that there was no wasteful operation, no dispersion of the liquid materials except at the time of need. However, without a single exception, these devices have incorporated deteriorating working parts such as arms, plungers, springs and related means that had to be designed into or fastened to the toilet bowl or seat by special modifications or attachments that had to be periodically replaced.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a simple, efiicient means of deodorizing and sanitizing a toilet bowl only at the time of greatest need.

More particularly, it relates to a deformable It is a further object of this invention to provide a means of deodorizing and disinfecting a toilet bowl that is inconspicuous and fitted by its structure to any toilet bowl without special attachment or modifications in bowl or seat design.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device for dispensing deodorant and disinfectant which has no working parts and which by virtue of its simple structure can be economically disposed of and replaced by another of its kind.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing means which by minor modification in the structure would permit it to handle both liquid and gaseous deodorants and disinfectants.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for deodorizing and sanitizing a toilet bowl which makes the deodorizing and sanitizing procedure fully integrated with normal use of the toilet.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a deodorant and disinfectant dispensing device that operates automatically with normal use of the toilet while permitting convenient simultaneous manual operation if a greater amount of deodorant or disinfectant is desired.

These and other related objects are achieved by our,invention wherein a compressible elastic container, inherently capable of detachable mounting on the rim of a toilet bowl is used as a dispensing device for deodorant and disinfectant fluids.

For a more detailed description of our invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is one form of the invention showing in perspec tive a container having depending arms of solid orsubstantially solid material functioning in a manner to be described;

Fig. 2 is an end'view of the container shown in Fig. 1-

of Fig. 1 so modified as to permit the depending arms to constitute an integral portion of a U-shaped container thereby serving as fluid reservoirs.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the modified container of Fig. 3 mounted on the rim of a conventional toilet bowl specially showing the discharge orifice on the end of the inner depending arm, that orifice being operatively con nected with the lowest point of the interior of the outer depending arm by means of a conduit or tubing;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the discharge plug shown in cross-section in Fig. 4, the discharge plug being inserted in the neck of a container and axially supporting.

a spray conduit; i

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a container representing the containers shown in Figs. 1 thru. 4 mounted on the rim of the conventional toilet bowl and maintaining the toilet seat in an elevated position when not in use.

With reference to the drawings generally, the contemeconomically discarded after its contents have been deli pleted. Such a container, or squeeze bottle as similar containers have been called, is conventionally filled with liquid to approximately. two thirds of its total capacity.

The remainder of the bottles contents is a replenishablei quantity of air which serves during deformation of the container as the driving means for expelling a fraction of the liquid contents.

With referenceto the particular drawings, Fig. 1 pictures a container consisting of a mid-portion 10 and de- Patented Aug. 28, 1956 1 Fig. 3 is a modification in perspective of the container pending arms 11 and 12 which will contact and engage the sides of the rim of a toilet bowl while the mid-portion rests on the rim. At the one end of the mid-portion is dispensing plug 13 inserted into the .containers threaded neck'l t." Where, as is thecase here, the discharge orifice 15 in dispensing plug 13 is at a greater elevation than that of the lowest point of the interior of mid-portion 10, aconduit (not shown) connects the lowest point ofthe interior of the mid-portion to the discharge orifice 15 through which conduit the liquid contents of the container can move toward said discharge orifice to be dispersed to the interior of'the toilet bowl by manner of operation to be more fully described.

Fig. 2 shows an end view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 with the one arm 12 shown depending from midport'ion 10, the one end of which terminates in thethreaded neck 14 which carries dispensing plug 13 perforated by discharge orifice 15. From Figs. 1 'and 2 it can be seen that arms 11' and 12, by converging toward their free lower ends, provide a factor of adaptability to various widths of toilet bowl rims. Alternatively, where no variation in rim size is contemplated, the container can be fabricated with only parallel arms depending from a standardized length ofmid-portion 1 0. It is specifically contemplated that the container of Figs. 1 and 2 could be modified by having the threaded neck 14 with discharge plug and orifice moved downwardly on the end of mid-portion 10 so that the discharge orifice would be directed downwardly.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the container consisting of mid-portion and depending arms 21 and 22, said arms being so modified as to constitute an integral portion of the whole container thereby serving as liquid reservoirs. The relative lengths of arms 21 and 22 are immaterial for the purposes of this invention. It will, however, ordinarily be the case that the arm carrying the threaded neck 24 and discharge plug 23 will be only of sufiicient length to enable it to engage the inner side of the rim of a toilet bowl. By being of such nominal length there is no interference with using and flushing of the toilet to which the container is attached.

Fig. 4 shows in cross-section, along a center line, the thinwalled container pictured schematically in perspective byFig. 3 as it would be mounted on a conventional toilet stool rim. The underside of mid-portion 20 rests on the rim 26, depending arms 21 and 22 engaging the sides" of said rim. Depending arm 22 contacting the inner side of rim 26 carries threaded neck 24 into which discharge plug 23 isfixedly inserted. Not shown in crossseetion is conduit 27which is made of similar pliable plastic tubingof suflicient length to operatively connect discharge orifice 25 in depending arm 22 with the lowest point in the'int'erio'r of the other arm 21 so that liquid in that arm can be moved to the'discharge orifice 25.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section view of the end of inner depending arm 22 'of Fig. 4, said inner arm terminating in threaded neck 24 into which discharge plug 23 is fixedly inserted to support and maintain conduit 27 in axial alignment with discharge orifice 25. Conduit 27 is supported by discharge plug 23 away from discharge orifi'ce'25 only by point contact so that ingress and egress of air is maintained between exterior and interior of the container without recourse to conduit 27. Through this arrangement air from the inside of the container can be ejected simultaneously with a portion of the liquid contents while physically permitting the resilient deformable container to return to its original form by inspiration of 811'.

By referring to Fig. 6 the optimum position of the container on the rim of a conventional toilet bowl is clearly shown. As mounted on the rim, the mid-portion 20 contacts and supports the toilet seat in an elevated position when the toilet is not in use. As the width of the rim is uniform throughout, the container can be moved forwardly or rearwardly along the length of the rim so as to vary the effective height of the mid-portion in supporting the toilet seat. Although this provides the necessary leeway in assuring contact between seat and container, the midportion of the container can be formed so as to have a varying height from front to rear along a transverse section. The particular value of such a varying thickness in the mid-portion additionally evidenced in the depending arms lies in the fact that by varying the height of the mid-portion a greater area of the surface of that midportion can be contacted and deformed by depression of the seat. Additionally, the diiference in height between the edges of the container makes certain that the higher edge will contact the seat at some point even if it is necessary that the container be placed around on the opposite side of the bowl rim in which case the higher edge of the container will be toward the rear of the bowl. With such a container mere reversal of the container from one side of the toilet to the other will regulate the effective height. Whether the inverted U-shaped container has this varying height along its transverse section or has a uniform height throughout its width it can be seen that the container can be accommodated by either side of the bowl.

In the manufacture of the containers contemplated in this invention conventional blow molding methods as are employed in the plastic and glass bottle industries can be practiced.

Essentially, blow molding consists of stretching and hardening a thermoplastic material against a mold. There are two basic processes which may be used, the direct and the indirect. The direct method consists in heating the material, forming it into a parison approximating the finished shape desired, then blowing it or drawing it by suction against a female mold. The indirect process usually consists in the reheating of a stock shape, usually a sheet but sometimes a tube, and then forming it.

By either of these methods certain walls of the container may be of varying thicknesses. This feature of the container-forming process is of advantage as it is within the contemplation of this invention that those walls subject to the greater flexing stresses may be strengthened and made more resilient.

Further facilitating the blow molding process is the fact that the containers of this invention need not have a straight mid-portion but can optimumly have an arched center portion which rises from the ends of the mid-portion toward the center as shown most clearly in Fig. 4. In this way, sharply defined corners are eliminated at the points where the mid-portion joins the two depending arms. Such a structural arrangement, in that only the ends of the mid-portion are supported on the rim of the toilet how], has a most unique effect in the operation of the container. When the toilet seat is depressed, the center of the mid-portion of the container is forced downward creating a tension in the outer surfaces of the container that tends to pull the depending arms to a substantially parallel position with each other. This motion of the arms as it afliects the inner arm depending into the toilet stool naturally causes motion of the discharge orifice in the plug so that it is pulled upwardly and directed closer to the horizontal. In this way the liquid contents are dispersed throughout a greater area within the bowl greatly enhancing their total effect.

The conduit or spray tubing mentioned above is a conventional expedient in the squeeze bottle art for removing liquid from the lowermost point of a container. As an example, round spray tubing of polyethylene or other plastic materials mentioned above are employed having an outer diameter on the order of inch. By varying the inner diameter from inch upwardly a fine spray ranging on up to coarser sprays from the larger inner diameter conduits would be obtained. This conduit readily lends itself even to rather extreme bending such as would be required in the containers of Figs. 3 and 4, and is in fact often supplied in coil forms. Conversely, where a container such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is modified by lowering the discharge orifice no spray tubing or conduit is required and control over the pattern and amount of spray can be gained solely by choosing a dispensing plug with a very nominal orifice diameter. Without special exterior pressure such an orifice would not permit a liquid of even low viscosity to drip from the container.

The dispensing plug such as that pictured in Fig. 4 is normally fixedly held by friction in the neck of the bottle. The neck of the container is conveniently threaded to permit a cap or closure (not shown) which prohibits leakage of the fluid contents of the container during shipping, storage and general handling. Such a threaded cap is readily removed when the container is first used and can thereafter be discarded if desired.

With either an oval or substantially rectangular crosssection, the containers of this invention could hold from 3 to 6 fluid ounces plus suflicient unfilled volume for the air needed for forming the spray where the bottle is designed With spray tubing to eject air simultaneously with liquid. The modified container of Figs. 3 and 4 would, of course, lend itself to larger capacities than would the container of Figs. 1 and 2. Our compilations show that three ounces of liquid deodorant dispersed with air from these containers would provide from thirty to forty-five days of service in normal home usage. However, it should be noted that any of these containers can be made refillable. Particularly the container of Figs. 3 and 4 can easily be made refillable by having a threaded filling tube carrying a closure located at the bottom of the outer depending arm. In this position, the filling tube is inconspicuous and unsoiled by virtue of its being outside the toilet bowl. By removing and inverting the bottle the container can be easily refilled as needed.

In selecting a material for use with the instant container any deodorant or disinfectant liquid of relatively low viscosity is preferred in order that a proper spray be formed. Generally speaking, the development of a spray will be more important Where a deodorant is being disseminated in the toilet bowl inasmuch as it is rather well established in the science of olfaction that the first odor sensation affects detection of subsequent odors by modifying, minimizing, or masking completely the second or subsequent odor received. However, it is almost equally important that good dissemination of a disinfectant be obtained and for these reasons our invention provides a unique container that can be feasibly discarded following use or by modification with a filling tube can be conveniently refilled in the home from a supply bottle of deodorant or disinfectant or combination thereof.

It is contemplated that other modifications of our invention are inherently possible among which is the possibility of providing the container of Figs. 1 and 2 with a deflector or shield attached to the discharge plug above the discharge orifice. By disposing such deflector at an angle downwardly into the stream of ejected liquid, that stream can be broken up and directed into the center of the bowl without altering the horizontal position of the discharge plug. Other like modifications may be made by those skilled in the dispensing container art and accordingly there is no intention to limit the invention except as is inherently involved in definitive claiming.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A device for introducing deodorizing and sanitizing liquids into the interior of a toilet bowl which comprises a compressible elastic container for said liquids having a discharge orifice directed into the interior of said-bowl, said container having a mid-portion adapted to rest on the rim of said bowl and having arms depending from the ends of said mid-portion along both inner and outer sides of the rim of said bowl.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which said arms depending along both inner and outer sides of the rim of said bowl converge toward their free lower ends.

3. A device for introducing deodorizing and sanitizing liquids into the interior of a toilet bowl which comprises a compressible elastic container for said liquids, said container having a mid-portion adapted to rest on the rim of said bowl, a discharge orifice provided in the outer wall of one end of said mid-portion, and having solid arms adapted to depend inwardly and outwardly of said bowl, said arms being secured adjacent the ends of said mid-portion.

4. A dispensing container comprising a resilient, closedended tubular :member provided with integral spaced depending arms and adapted to be removably mounted on the rim of a toilet bowl, and a discharge orifice provided in the outer wall of one arm and operatively associated with said tubular member.

5. A dispensing container comprising a U-shaped resilient closed tubular container adapted to be removably mounted on the rim of a toilet bowl, a discharge orifice provided in the outer wall of one arm of said U-shaped container, and a conduit communicating with said orifice and extending inwardly of said U-shaped container, whereby the contents of said U-shaped container may be dispensed into said toilet bowl.

6. A dispensing container for introducing deodorizing and sanitizing liquid into the interior of a toilet bowl comprising a U-shaped, resilient plastic closed tubular member adapted to be mounted on the rim of said toilet bowl, discharge means provided in the outer wall of one arm of said U-shaped member adapted to direct the said liquid into the interior of said bowl and permit entry of replacement air for such discharged liquid, and a conduit communicating with said discharge means and extending inwardly of said U-shaped member.

7. A container of the character set forth in claim 6 wherein only the arm of the said U-shaped member opposite the arm provided with the said discharge means constitutes a liquid reservoir.

8. A dispensing container adapted to intermittently discharge deodorizing and sanitizing liquids into the interior of a toilet bowl comprising a unitary, U-shaped resilient plastic closed container adapted to be removably mounted on the rim of said toilet bowl with the arms of said U-shaped container depending inwardly and outwardly of said bowl, a discharge orifice mounted in the inwardly depending arm, and a conduit secured at one end to said inwardly depending arm communicating with said orifice and extending inwardly of said container into said outwardly depending arm whereby liquid contained in said outwardly depending arm is discharged through said conduit and orifice upon application of external pressure to said U-shaped container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 548,870 Hager Oct. 29, 1895 641,238 Ruthven Jan. 9, 1900 1,488,743 Eggers Apr. 1, 1924 

